So my plan today was to take my daughter to the fancy swanky hair salon uptown and then to take her portraits at the conservatory in St Paul with the pretty plants in the background. It’s also 25 degrees out and it would have been nice to be able to work inside. The pictures are for her face book and more importantly for my school assignment.

So after I parked 1/2 a mile away and walked with all my camera gear up to the front door, I was greeted by a self-important bitchy girl with state trooper glasses on, who was all too excited to tell me the rules.

There are no tripods allowed. Well if you know anything about photography, you know certain types of photos in certain light require a tripod. You see the tripods block the walkways…………its training, if you cant watch your step on a paved walkway in a greenhouse, you aren’t qualified to be on a narrow path where plants are really growing???????

Could she hold on to my tripod then and I could at least try it without? NOPE!!!!!

Oh and by the way, if you want to take “posed pictures” you have to buy a $25.00 permit. There is also some combination of having to be there after hours which I didn’t stick around long enough to clarify.

My Daughter had already paid her admission fee which is a giant plastic box………….so no getting that back.

I do get it, a professorial photographer, earning money ought not be doing business there day in and day out without taking some responsibility. I am a student, taking pictures of my daughters new haircut…………for class.

I’m sure they have some highly paid egghead who would love to explain why pictures are further harmful to plants…………

In summary, the girl working the front was a complete negative bitch who had no time to ask me the nature of my business. Your tax dollars and mine are being spent to maintain a public place which has too many rules to use the way you would like. Lastly, I’m done there, I’m done at the Como Zoo, everyone in my photography program will know what a pain in the ass it is to deal with those folks.

Your ridiculous, stodgy, mid western, dumb ass rules are a part of what makes Minnesota less appealing everyday.